Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Team seal or team penguin?

Seals are Jerks! by Jared Chapman

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Seals are Lorelei’s favorite animals. And she loves how they must be the best of friends with penguins. After all, they are always together in all the pictures she sees because of the research she has done. And they are no-shaped, but look like potatoes and their blubber! But when a new student in class tells her that Seals are Jerks! Well, she doesn’t believe it! She needs proof! But she soon learns that seals are jerks. After all, they eat penguins and do not […]

It’s too early to write a clever title but honestly you should have your kids read this

Travis Daventhorpe for the Win! Volume One by Wes Molebash

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In the idea of the Judd Winick’s Hilo adventures, but with a bit more “weight”, yet equally funny, magical and scientific, we have Travis Daventhorpe for the Win! Volume One. Good for ages 8 to 11/young12, this book has all the fun of robots, dinosaurs, friends, bullies, wizards and dodgeball! (Okay, dodgeball might not be fun, but the scientific experiments Travis does are.) Travis is new to middle school. He has little to no social skills, but he can build sentient robots that can do […]

Which Witch is the worst Witch?

Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things (Courtney Crumrin, #1) by Ted Naifeh

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Can you like and dislike a book at the same time? I say yes, as the graphic novel Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things (Courtney Crumrin, #1) by Ted Naifeh is exactly that.  And due to that, I am not really sure I want to explore the rest of the books in the various Courtney Crumrin series. Unless, there is a collection of everything…. Well a girl can dream right? There is really nothing likable about any of the characters, even Courtney who we follow through […]

Junior High but with magic and glitter

Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess: (A Graphic Novel) (Magic Girls) by Megan Brennan

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Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess: (A Graphic Novel) (Magic Girls) by Megan Brennan is a three rounded from a 2.5 rating. This is because on one level this graphic novel is a cute, manga inspired, girl power story. It is a typical “in middle school and it stinks (only I didn’t say stinks)” story. We have the outsider looking in, but wants to be on the inside. However, on the other hand these are not the nicest people in the universe. And I say […]

A girl, her best boy friend (but not boyfriend) and her crush

Surprisingly Sarah (Emmie & Friends) by Terri Libenson

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Surprisingly Sarah (Emmie & Friends) by Terri Libenson is the seventh installment of Libenson’s Emmie & Friends series. It is perfectly their signature style dealing with Lakeside school and the middle schoolers that go there. There are the typical growing pains, and how each character a book focuses on goes through them. And while each character has dealt with similar things, no two characters’ stories are exactly alike. And like previous graphic novels, the other characters pop up showing where we are in the timeline […]

Human Tornado

Not Really Buddies (Buddy and Bea) by Jan Carr

Tiny Tornadoes (Buddy and Bea) by Jan Carr

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They look adorable on the cover. Two kids ready for adventure. I figured there would be bumps, but nothing like they actually had. Not Really Buddies (Buddy and Bea) by Jan Carr and illustrated by Kris Mukai had more bumps than a Three Stooges movie. The character of Buddy has a lot going on. First, is his name, Buddy. I am assuming that is what he is called and not his birth certificate name, but that is what we are told his name is (after […]



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